Staff Reporter :
MPO teachers and staff have announced nationwide strike from Monday, demanding increased house rent and other allowances.
Delawar Hossain Azizi, secretary of the MPO Education Nationalisation Alliance, announced the programme during a sit-in at the Shaheed Minar on Sunday.
The decision came in protest of a police crackdown on demonstrators. The strike will be accompanied by a continuous sit-in at Dhaka’s central Shaheed Minar, organisers said on Sunday.
He said, “We will not return to classrooms until the government issues notifications for a 20 percent house rent increase, Tk 1,500 medical allowance, and 75 percent festival bonus.
“We condemn today’s police attack. Several of our colleagues were arrested, and we demand their unconditional release immediately.”
Azizi added, “A strike across all MPO-registered educational institutions was scheduled to begin Tuesday, but in protest of the police assault, we have advanced it to Monday.
“From today, 30,000 MPO-registered schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical institutes nationwide will observe continuous strike until our demands are met.”
Teachers began a continuous sit-in outside the National Press Club on Sunday morning.
Around 1:30pm, some moved to the Central Shaheed Minar following police requests, while others stayed behind.
At 1:55pm, police again ordered the remaining teachers to clear the road outside the Press Club.
When some refused and shouted at officers, police used sound grenades, baton charges, and water cannons to disperse them.
On Sept 30, the government raised house rent for MPO teachers by Tk 500, which they rejected, calling for protests.
On Oct 6, the education ministry proposed raising rent to Tk 2,000-3,000, sending the proposal to the Finance Division.
MPO teachers receive salaries under the national pay scale, with additional Tk 500 monthly as medical allowance.
House rent has been increased from Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,500, while festival allowances have doubled from 25 percent to 50 percent of annual pay for two festivals.
